Sweetie Belle’s recovery from that near fatal hoof beating she received was a pained journey from near death to frightful servitude. For the first two and a half weeks, she was in bed, hardly able to move, or even speak. It took a week for all the swelling to go down, and all but the worst of her bruises to clear up. She was able to open her eyes after a few days- and the first thing she saw to her now instinctive horror was Applejack staring down at her. That frightened the living wits out of the poor filly and made her piss the bed. Apple Aid and his wife Apple Mend had to keep Applejack from bashing the filly upside the head when she saw the growing wet spot, and talk her down.

“Applejack, with all due respect, she’s probably terrified of you, I think that’s what made her leak herself just now.” Apple Mend said. Applejack opened her mouth to shout something at her, then she stopped, and thought it out. Deep down, Applejack felt a sense of triumph and satisfaction. If she could instill enough fear in Apple Belle to make her wet the bed just by staring her down, no doubt the filly would not dare come up with anything to do with magic. Ever.

“Very well, Heal, Ah can see that. Maybe she’ll be on her best behavior from now on, ain't that right, Apple Belle? Answer me!"

“...y...y-yes, Auntie Applejack...I’m sorry...”

“An’ don’t y’ dare wet the bed again!” And she marched out of the bedroom to deal with all the other ponies on the farm.

Apple Mend, a.k.a. Heal, took care of Sweetie around the clock, bringing her hot stew, changing bandages where needed, and checking her horn. Heal even had to go into town and buy some horn cream from a healers’ shop. Of course, the horn cap had to stay on to protect it. She read to Sweetie Belle and stayed with her until the filly fell asleep. Sometimes Heal slept on the spare bed. She had to get Applebloom, who still had her own bed to herself, to lay on her side so she’d stop snoring so loudly.

Heal even carried Sweetie Belle to the bathroom when she had to go, and of course she took Sweetie Belle to where the basins were and bathed her until she was able to move around and walk on her own.

Every now and then, Apple Aid, a.k.a. Doc came in to check on her. “You’re healing up very well, Apple Belle. Keep it up,” he would say while gently patting her on the cheek.

If there was anypony in the Apple family who Sweetie felt even remotely safer around, it was Heal. Heal had developed a mild motherly instinct to protect Sweetie Belle, and be with her, and unlike all the other Apples, she was kind, soft spoken, and a nurturing kind of mare. Often since the beating, Sweetie Belle woke up crying during the night from flashbacks or nightmares, and unlike anypony else who barged in at 25° during the night, and yelled at her to shut up, Heal got up, sat next to her and held her close and rubbed her back, making Sweetie cry it all out. Somewhere deep down in the pit of the filly’s subconscious, ‘Auntie Heal’ may as well been the loving caring mother she never actually had. Sure Rarity raised her, and was as normal of a parent as she tried to be, but even Rarity wasn’t as compassionate for a filly in distress as Heal was. Even so, Sweetie still missed her dearly.

As Sweetie Belle spent more days out of bed, Heal kept her close by and put her on easy household tasks. On Sundays, Sweetie Belle sat close to Heal and Doc during the religious service in the chapel.

Despite Applejack’s stringent rule against mentioning Rarity, Heal coaxed Sweetie into telling her about Rarity and all that had happened. Their conversation on the subject started and stopped over the period of a week. One day, when Heal was making medicinal concoctions for the coming winter, and Sweetie Belle was keeping the room tidy, the subject of magic came up. Sweetie explained to her how she felt about Applejack’s harsh laws and punishments.

“Apple Belle, dear,” Heal said as she paused her work of pouring her freshly mixed medicine into bottles and placed the pot on the stove.

“I honestly feel horrible about what you’ve been through. Between you and me, I think you were punished more harshly than you even deserved. I know full well why you want to do magic, you’re a unicorn, and the rest of us are earth ponies. We don’t understand magic as well as unicorns can, since they use it and we can only read about it and watch. Magic to us is something we don’t fully understand...and for some of us we don’t even know about at all.

“It has been said that what anypony cannot understand, will fear. And what anypony fears, he or she will come to despise it, and do whatever it takes to suppress it. Do you understand?”

“I...I guess so...” Sweetie said. Magic itself had become a very sensitive subject, even for her. There were times she almost wished she was born as an earth pony so she wouldn’t have to worry about it. She thought about Applejack, and everything she said and did since that day last Autumn. She tried to apply Auntie Heal’s statement to her history with Applejack-

“Your Auntie Applejack has come to fear magic so much, she did what she felt was necessary to stamp it out, even out of you. By nature, you shouldn’t be here with us. You should be living with your own family or any unicorn family, who’d teach you your magic.”

Sweetie nodded. So many times she hatched up escape plans in her mind. None of them seemed feasible now that the entire extended family was at Sweet Apple Acres. In her mind, attempted escape meant certain death. Even if she got out, where would she go? Almost everypony in Ponyville, oblivious to the Apples’ true nature, and respectful of them as community members, would hoof her back to them without hesitation. Then she’d get it for sure. Applebloom told her about the showdown with Twilight Sparkle two and a half weeks ago.

“I don’t get it. Why I am even here. C-Celestia just went...and killed Rarity, and made me live here. We were supposed to go to Canterlot together, Rarity was gonna get me into a magic school....and now I’m here...” the filly tried not to tear up. She felt bitter and resentful of Applejack and almost everypony except Big Mac, Applebloom, and now Heal.

“Sweetie,” Heal addressed her by her real name, “or Apple Belle as you're supposed to be called, there are so many things in this world we do not understand. For you, it’s us. Our Solar Mother, does things for a reason, and we know that we can only speculate what those reasons are until we finally figure it out.

“Our Solar Mother sees the past, present, and the future, and so she intervenes in the course of all things for the benefit of all ponies, even if we do not understand, or think her intent is the exact opposite of love and protection. Perhaps She feared you might be corrupted with the wrong kind of magic, so to prevent that, she sent you to us, I don’t know.

“However, there is no sense in griping and complaining about it, or getting upset, no matter how bad we think Her changes in our lives are, in the end its for each and every pony’s own good. You may not see that now, but maybe in five, ten, or twenty years you will. Our Solar Mother doesn’t expect you to be jumping for joy, She knows you’ll figure it all out in the future. Do you understand, my dear?”

“I...I guess...why do Apple ponies hate unicorns and magic?”

Heal sighed, and explained: “Even I don’t know the full scope of it all, but sometime long ago, our Solar Mother decreed to our ancestors, the first Apple ponies to ever walk the land of Equestria, that they, and we, were to live without the influence of magic. We were to live and work the land with none of it. Of course, our ancestors, and every generation of Apple ponies up to today allowed unicorns to become involved, and our Mother punished them severely for it. Our history books are filled with stories of the plagues and punishments She dispensed upon us for failing to keep to Her decree and the way of life she ordained for us to live by.

“I know not all earth ponies were ordered to stay away from unicorns, or even pegasi, but for the most mystifying of reasons, we are to keep separated from them at all costs. I have no prejudice of my own against unicorns, but I want to obey our Mother and keep to her rules as much as possible. And so does Applejack, and everypony else around here.

“I must admit, some of us are quite puzzled that She has deliberately placed a unicorn among us-- that being you, and that She expects us to raise you as one of our own. Between you and me, Applejack let her fears of you, your magic, and our Mother’s retribution get the best of her. No doubt there will be some kind of consequence from our Solar Mother for her brutality. We all believe in firm discipline to keep our foals from going wayward, but never do we carry it out when consumed with such rage.”

Sweetie Belle just stared at the bucket next to Heal’s seat. “So, if Celestia-”

“Please, never address her by her name! She is our Mother, and creator of everything, we must show Her some respect.”

“...if our Solar...Mother...wants you to not be around unicorns, then what does that make me?” She felt bitter about the whole thing.

“Well, as I said, our Mother expects us to raise you as one of our own, and you to live as we live. That’s all there is to it. Our Mother won’t just hoof out Her reasons, they’re Her business, and not ours. Our job is to do as She says."

“Oh...okay.” Sweetie Belle remembered the times when Celestia came to Ponyville, and of the times she saw Her during Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor’s wedding. And from what Rarity said, Celestia seemed a very kind and understanding alicorn, and until now, not some god-queen so high up and so brutal that ponies didn’t understand and just fearfully obeyed. That one time two years ago, when Celestia seemed angry with Twilight, she didn’t set the whole town on fire, she simply told Twilight to meet her at the library, after dispelling the spell she cast on that doll that made everypony want and fight over it.

“Now then, dear,” Heal said, closing the subject, “All we can do is pray for Her guidance and hope one day to understand our fate. But enough of that, can you please hoof me some more of those little bottles?”

Sweetie Belle obeyed, and Heal continued filling them up with medicine. When not tending to Sweetie Belle, she spent her time making her massive stockpile of medicine for Winter. She knew full well it would be needed when ponies started getting sick with the seasonal flu and cold.

It had been three weeks since Applejack beat Sweetie Belle, and she was almost at a full recovery. As soon as she was able to walk and work, Applejack took her back from Heal. “Thanks, Heal, but this filly needs to git back to her normal work, and Ah think she’s taken you from yours enough already.”

Sweetie Belle feared Applejack. It was a subconscious pathological fear that turned into an instinct to obey Applejack without question and not even think about magic. Among the tasks Sweetie was put on now that she was recovered, was battery charging.

The lights, and lamps that lit the houses, barns, tool sheds, and storage huts throughout Sweet Apple Acres were powered with electric batteries. During the day, the depleted batteries were collected and brought to the workshop where foals manually recharged them by spinning a handle for hours on end. There were several of these charging machines- hoof- spun electrical supply devices, more than enough to keep over ten foals busy the entire day.

The reason for batteries was that the Sweet Apples opposed large-scale power grids. They believed that electricity was to be respected and not used, so rather than use energy from a dam, or power plant, they simply made their own electricity. Plans had been hatched to build windmills to make battery charging easier, but they were just plans at this point.

As far as power went, only a small fraction of Ponyville’s residents actually had electric power. Instead, most ponies used bright biolume lamps. Biolumes were a farmed bulbous plant that emitted bright light. They were a genetic engineering or magical marvel from the distant past that kept to this day. As far as the Sweet Apples were concerned, they were forbidden. They even turned down contracts to grow and sell them. A spurned opportunity the Flim Flam brothers eagerly took up.

The day Applejack took Sweetie Belle from Heal, she led her to the battery hut as everpony called it. Applejack proudly barged in, kicking open the door with a hoof, startling some of the ponies inside.

“Mornin’ yall!” Applejack bellowed.

“Hi Auntie Applejack.”

“Good morning.”

“Where’s Applesparker?” Applejack demanded.

“I’m right here,” Applesparker, a gray colt, darker gray mane with a yellow streak down the center, and a cutie mark of a green apple with a lightning bolt shooting out of it; replied.

“This here’s mah filly, Apple Belle. She’s good enough to work now, so Ah’m puttin’ her in here fer now. Apple Belle, say good morning to yer uncle!”

“...good morning, Uncle Applesparker.”

“Pleasure to meet ya.”

“How’s everypony else doin’ in here?” Applejack asked.

“Well,” Applesparker replied, “it’s good. Everypony outside is bringing in the batteries, and they all remembered to bring the carts inside, an’ not leave ‘em out in the sun. And the little ones are charging away.”

“Good to hear. Anyways, here she is, ‘nother charger fer ya. If she causes any problems, you come n’ get me, an’ Ah’ll straighten her out.”

“Very well, thank you.” Applesparker replied.

“You be good, ya hear?” Applejack barked right at Sweetie.

“Yes...Auntie Applejack...”

“Good.” And Applejack took her leave and walked out.

As she walked out, Sweetie took a look around. The building was the size of a small barn. Over by the larger doors were the carts full of batteries. The batteries were large, about the size of a cup.

On both sides of the room were rows of tables where foals and ponies sat spinning the chargers, and tossing the charged batteries into boxes. Over by Applesparker’s desk, was a creaky old phonograph, spinning a record. Odd music from the Apple Sparks, a band of Apple pony singers from the Year 940’s, belched from the machine.

The foals sat in groups and talked quietly among each other while working, telling stories about where they came from, old family tales, or stories they made up for entertainment.

“Alright then, Apple Belle,” Sparker said as he came up to her, “I think you can see what we do in here. Grab a charger from the shelves over there, find an empty seat and get started. You place the batteries into the slots, and spin the lever. It takes about 15° to charge four batteries. The little light bulb lights up to see how well you are spinning the lever. The brighter it is, the harder you’re working. I don’t want to see any dead batteries tonight. We need these to light up the farm, and to operate all the devices every Apple clan is bringing here. Understand?”

“Yes, Uncle Applespar-”
“Don’t call me uncle. Makes me feel old. Off to work.”

Sweetie Belle went over to the shelves, picked up the motor, which consisted of a rectangular wooden plate with the four metal slots, the lightbulb, and the spinning lever, and wires connecting them. She tried to grasp it with her hooves and nearly dropped it; it was heavier than she thought. She managed to put it onto her back, then searched for an empty seat.

The seats weren’t chairs, but pads for the ponies’ flanks, as ponies sat like cats or dogs.

“Scootaloo? What are you doing here?” Sweetie said the second she saw Applebloom, Scootaloo, and some other foals charging batteries. Even though Scoots had been at Sweet Apple Acres almost everyday afterschool for two and a half weeks, Sweetie Belle had no idea. She had only been around Apple Mend a.k.a. Heal until this morning. She sat across the table from her friends, took the batteries from the pile, placed them into the slots of her charger and started spinning. She quickly found turning the spinning lever took quite some effort, and the bulb on the charger only lit up a bit.

“Hey,” another foal said to her. “You have to spin harder than that. If Applesparker sees that he’ll get mad real fast.”

Sweetie replied by turning the wooden lever harder. The muscles in her arms and hooves ached from holding the charger.

“You,” the same foal hissed, Y’ see the rectangle in the table? Put yer charger in there an’ y’ wont hafta hold it.”

Sweetie Belle did as she was told, then had her two hooves on the lever. The bulb glowed brighter.

“I got kicked out of flying class,” Scootaloo muttered. “I been here since just after you got beat.”

“Like, actually living here?” she asked.

“No, but every day after school, and on most weekends. I even have to stay at home cuz if I go out and run into Applejack or anypony else, they’ll drag me here. Rainbow Dash makes me come here with Applebloom, and they don’t let me go home till after sunset. It was supposed to be for the days when the other pegasi go to flight class, but now its everyday after school. And on the weekends they want me here before the sun comes up, but my dad made them stop trying’ ‘ta get me at my house, so if I go out on Saturday, Stellarday, or Sunday, and I’m not with my parents, the Apple ponies will come after me. Big Mac’s the only one who doesn’t say anything if he sees me. This sucks. I have to hide when I go outside. I can’t even go to Sugarcube Corner anymore. I tried to sneak out of Ponyville last Sunday ‘cause my mom and dad don’t want me at home all day. I wanted to go to Little Carrot, but then Applejack shows up. I swear she’s like a ninja or something.”

“Oh,” Sweetie said.
“Dontch’yer parents make you go home?” Applebloom asked. Obviously her brain skipped out on Scoots’ explanation. Very few ponies knew, but she began having more brain farts than usual.

Scootaloo shook her head, “Only if I can sneak out of the school before Applejack, or Applegem or some other Apple shows up. After my first day here, my dad was mad at Applejack, and she talked all crisp and smooth like, saying somepony else made me do work and she didn't know. Yeah they do want me to go home, but only if I can get away from the school quick. Then Rainbow Dash showed up to pick up the others, and if she sees me...”

Scootaloo didn’t want to get into the details of the wrath Rainbow Dash took out on her if she saw her anywhere outside Sweet Apple Acres or her house when not at school.

“Yeah, but,” Applebloom interrupted her, “ain’t it like fillynapping ‘er something like that?”

Scootaloo shrugged. “It’s not like the town guard cares. I even asked one colt and he said it's none of their business. I even asked Miss Cheerilee and she said she can’t do nuthin’ about it. Yesterday my mom came to the school and Applejack yelled at her about how i’m nothing but a bottomfeeder and a brat. Then Rainbow Dash started yelling at her too. Applejack was also like ‘Why did you even adopt this filly? You ain’t even got it in you to discipline her and raise her right. You got your own twins to raise, and that messed up varmint Dinky. Ah should take her.’” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were impressed with how well Scoots’ mimicked Applejack’s hick speech.

“If Derpy heard anypony talk about Dinky like that, she’d have a huge fit.”

“So is that why yer’ mum n’ dad are earth ponies?”

Sweetie Belle grunted with frustration. Applebloom was a good, caring friend and all, but her occasional intellectual density really got to her, even more this time, as it was well known that Snapper and Lassy Loo, two earth ponies, adopted Scootaloo when she was a baby. They also took in Dinky Doo as being a proper full time mother proved to be too much for Derpy Hooves. Scootaloo vaguely remembered the few days it took for Derpy to let the Loos have Dinky, and the few weeks of anxiously watching their house. After a month, Derpy came to trust Snapper and Lassy, and didn’t take to watching the house and coming by to check on Dinky so much, Lassy, pregnant with twins at the time, had to sit down and talk to Scootaloo, who was freaked out over Derpy’s behavior at the time.

As Scootaloo continued explaining, she remembered the Apples’ interference with her and her family. During the first week since Rainbow Dash expelled her and banished her to the farm, Scootaloo ran into an Apple family member who came to pick up Applebloom, and she spent the rest of each day at Sweet Apple Acres, even the days when there was no flying class to miss. Her parents were angry with the Apples, and Snapper was furious at Applejack for berating his wife, Lassy, at the school. Eventually over a heated meeting, Applejack managed to calm them down by acting as the sincere Applejack of the past, and apologizing for her actions. Thanks to a general societal policy of forgiveness, ponies forgave one another if one pony got out of line with another. And as a result, the Loos forgave Applejack for her transgression.

(“Ah’m awful sorry, Mr and Mrs. Loo, Ah went way over mah head the other day Ah got so much goin on back at the farm, and Ah was just worried about you two. Ah mean y’ got these two, and y’ have yer twins toddlin’ about. Look, Ah won’t mention it again after this, unless you do, but mah offer to take little Scoots in still stands, and Ah don’t mean work her to the bone like the other day but to ensure she still gits all her needs met in mah family.”

“Well then...I thank you for your concern about us, Applejack, but I think it’s best if Scootaloo stays with us. She’s been here since she was baby. I’d rather we not talk about this adoption thing again. She is free to visit your family and Applebloom at your farm, provided you keep your relatives from working her like a little slave. Are we clear?”

“Sure thing, Mr. Loo.” )

On the weekends, the Apples stopped showing up at Scootaloo’s house before Sunrise, but when she ran into them in Ponyville, they dragged her back to the farm. Applejack made her parents believe she’d quit making Scootaloo work 200° a day. On this first weekend, the Loo’s agreed to ‘let’ Scootaloo sleep over at Sweet Apple Acres this weekend, completely fooled by the Apples.

When she protested, Lassy Loo told her that Dinky was going to be with Derpy all weekend, and the twins were being babysat by a family friend, and that Snapper and Lassy were taking a little vacation for the weekend.

“B-but, Mom...can’t I go with Dinky and Derpy? I don’t want to stay at the apple farm!”

“Scoots,” her mother said, “Derpy has a hard time being a parent for her little Dinky Doo. And I think having you would be too much for her. Not to mention every other weekend is the only time those two get to spend time together. I’d rather not complicate things by making Derpy take care of you too.”

“But-”

“It’s out of the question, Scootaloo,” her mother said sternly.

“Wait, can’t I just stay here? I won’t eat all the food, and I won’t have anypony over, and I’ll just”

Lassy Loo silenced her adopted daughter with a shake of her head.

“I had a good chat with Applejack.” Snapper Loo said as he entered the house. “I got through to her, and she knows not to treat you like a slave. She assured me she’d allow you and the others plenty of playtime and no more than 60° of easy work. Besides, you’ll only be there for three days. As far as the work is concerned, a little can do you good for exercise and experience. So when you get older, what you may call hard work now, won’t be so bad.”

And Scootaloo had little reason to believe her dad, because that next day when Applegem picked her and Applebloom up from school, the three were put to work till sundown.

Scootaloo came to dread the days like Sweetie Belle did. Of course, seeing her exhausted to the point of collapsing would have pissed off her parents.

After the third week, Sweetie Belle was allowed to go back to school. Her bruises cleared up for the most part, leaving only a few which could easily be excused by a tale of a tumble. During her recovery, as soon as she was able to read and write again, Apple Dumpling put her through intensive home tutoring to get her caught up in all the school work Applebloom brought home.

The morning of her first day back to school, Applejack gave her a very harsh warning:

“Y’ listen to me Apple Belle, and y’ better listen real good, ‘cause Ah’m only gonna say this once. When Cheerilee or anypony asks you why you skipped over two and a half weeks of school, you will tell them you was beat by that varmint Big Stomp. He was the one who damn near put yer sorry ass into the ground fer’ good. That’s what you get for disobeyin’ mah rules and goin’ on with yer bloody infernal magic. An’ don’t you dare even think about lyin through yer’ teeth and tellin’ everypony it was me, because unlike Big Stomp, Ah am still here and Ah’ll even give you an even worse beatin’ if you dare tarnish me! Ya hear?”

“y...y...yes...Auntie Applejack...”

“An’ get this real good: your magic business is finished. Ah don’t want to see or hear about none o’ that crap come outta you ever again. Ah talked to Cheerilee about yer magic club and you are out of it. An’ if anypony tries to shove you back into that unholy hovel, you better tell me right quick! So, there you have it. Magic is over, and it was Big Stomp who beat yer sorry ass, you little brat. You got me?”

Sweetie Belle, trying not to tear up, nodded.
“Good, now get outta here, before you wind up late!”

And so that’s how things went for her first few days back at school. Completely terrified of being beaten to death (and sent to burn in hell), Sweetie blamed Big Stomp Appleyard, the figment of Applejack’s imagination for why she was not at school for weeks. She turned in the overdue homework, and Cheerilee praised her for her diligence.

Sweetie Belle just wanted to get on with her days, but Cheerilee, an intuitive teacher, didn’t believe the Big Stomp story. Having dealt with abused foals in the past, Cheerilee knew instantly Sweetie Belle had a lot to hide. Rather than force the poor filly to fess up, and blow spaghetti all over the place, she knew Sweetie’s safety could be compromised or that she’d wind up in serious danger if the situation was destabilized. She made a note to speak with Twilight Sparkle again, and planned to suggest sending her to Rarity in Canterlot as soon as possible.

For a week or so, Sweetie Belle did good at school, and still endured the bullying by the others due to the horn cap Applejack forced her to wear to school.

(“Ah been hearin’ about how you dang unicorns need yer horns to live. Ah don’t believe a word of it. But since you like yer little horn so much, you’ll wear the horn cap unless Ah tell you take it off. No horn cap, no more horn”)

Towards the end of the days, Sweetie, having been abnormally quiet since she came back, was even more withdrawn when it came time to go home. She didn’t say much either when with Applebloom and Scootaloo during recess and lunch hour. Then when an Apple pony showed up at the end of the day to collect them, Sweetie sauntered along with her head down and her tail between her legs. For the first week or so, she got away with skipping magic class, until Cheerilee became aware of it.

The pain and agony the damaged horn caused Sweetie never subsided. Instead it got worse. She struggled with migraines and headaches that would have sent any other whining filly to the nurse’s office, but her fear driven discipline kept her planted in her seat in class and ever attentive. Apple Dumpling was easily angered when she found out foals didn’t pay attention at school.

Then eventually one day the pain got so bad she was hardly able to walk straight or keep her head up. She was dizzy, woozy, and nauseous, She even puked a couple of times. The day it got real bad was also the day Cheerilee caught her sneaking out and took her right to Sea Spray’s classroom.

Author's Notes:

200° = 13h 20< mins
30° = 2 hours
spaghetti = an expression referring to social drama and conflicts between ponies. A term used by bronies.